Showing posts with label American Pride. Show all posts
Showing posts with label American Pride. Show all posts

Tuesday, September 12, 2017

Summer of Sewing Roundup!

We hope you enjoyed following our Summer of Sewing series as much as we enjoyed sharing it with you! 



Here's a quick look at the projects we featured this summer; check out the tutorials and ask for the fabrics at your local quilt shop!





Polka Dot Pouches featuring the Thoroughly Modern collection by Virginia Robertson


Bargello in Blues featuring the Fleur de Bleu collection


Mayfair Placemats featuring the Mayfair collection


Farm Animals Soft Book featuring the Vintage 30s Ruby's Treasures collection


Walkabout Tote featuring the Walkabout 2 collection


Dino Balls Quilt featuring the Lost World collection



Pet Pillow featuring Love is a Four Legged Word collection


Hold Everything Fabric Boxes featuring the Goanna Walkabout collection


Patriotic Star Quilt featuring the American Pride collection

Pie Pincushions featuring the Farmer John's Garden Party collection


Garden Trivets featuring the Farmer John's Garden Party collection


Which was your favorite? 

Wednesday, June 21, 2017

Quilts of Valor

If we're talking patriotic quilts, we have to mention Quilts of Valor! If you're not familiar with the organization, it began with Catherine Roberts' dream in 2003. In the ensuing 14 years, this dream has grown into a huge, ongoing undertaking, taking the concepts of "quilts=healing" and presenting patriotic quilts to service members--161,000 quilts have been given to date.

The mission of the Quilts of Valor Foundation is to cover service members and veterans touched by war with comforting and healing Quilts of Valor.



Back in February, the Quilt Lovers' Hangout in North Fort Myers, Florida, hosted a National Sew Day Event for Quilts of Valor. They used patriotic fabrics we donated from the Valor and American Pride collections to create quilts for veterans. What a great team effort! 


According to shop owner Andrea Sensecqua, approximately 20 people participated in the sew day. Andrea had bought the shop the previous year, and customers asked if there would be an event for National Sew Day. After investigating, Andrea said "absolutely" began choosing patterns from around the shop. "We had an overwhelming response and sat in our classroom, sewing all day," Andrea says. Completed quilt tops are quilted free of charge by students learning to machine quilt. The Quilt Lovers' Hangout is now an official Quilts of Valor shop.

"It was really meaningful for both customers and staff to be part of such an important event, allowing us to use our passions and skills to award recipients with quilts," Andrea says. "This even kicked off our relationship with QOV and allowed us to bring a national event to a local level."



Quilt blocks laid out, ready to be assembled:

The shop also participated in its first wrapping ceremony. Quilter Sue Styn is presenting, and wrapping, her husband, Bill in a Quilts of Valor quilt in the shop. 

Thanks to Andrea and the Quilt Lovers' Hangout for sharing the story and photos! Have you made a Quilts of Valor quilt? We'd love to hear about it.

Find out more about Quilts of Valor and how to participate here.
Find out more about the Quilt Lovers' Hangout here.
Read an article about QOV and Quilt Lovers' Hangout here.
Check out our patriotic-themed collections! See American Pride here and here and Valor by Ro Gregg here.

Friday, June 16, 2017

Summer of Sewing: Patriotic Star Quilt

During our Summer of Sewing series, we'll be featuring weekly tutorials using our new fabric collections (and giveaways, too!). Join us each week, sit back, relax, and then start sewing! 


We're in full-on 4th of July mood, and the patriotic fun starts here! We chose two prints from the American Pride collection to create this exploding star quilt, based on a tutorial from Sarah Craig of Confessions of a Fabric Addict. (Head over to see her 72" version using four of these star blocks--she stitched it in solids, and we think it would look fantastic in our Painter's Palette Solids!)
Quilt measures 30-1/2" square

Here are our fabric choices: 

Let's get started!
You'll Need:
1/2 yard of plaid print (includes binding)
3/4 yard of white solid
1/2 yard of blue star print
1 yard of backing fabric (we used Amy Calloway's allover patriotic print. See it here.)
36" square of batting

Cutting: 
From the plain print: 
(1) 4-1/4" square
(4) 2-3/4" squares
(4) 2-1/4" x 42" strips for binding

From the white solid:
(4) 2-3/4" squares
(4) 4-3/4" squares
(4) 8-1/2" squares
(4) 8" squares

From the blue star print: 
(4) 8-1/2" squares
(4) 4-3/4" squares
(4) 4-1/4" squares

Make the Quilt:
Step 1: Draw a diagonal line on the wrong side of a 2-3/4" white square. Layer right sides together with a 2-3/4" plaid square. 

Step 2: Stitch 1/4" on either side of the drawn line. Cut on the line. 

Step 3: Press both units open and trim to 2-3/8" square. Repeat to make a total of (8) HST units. 

Step 4: Lay out the (8) HST units, (1) 4-1/4" plaid square, and (4) 2-3/8" white squares as shown.

Step 5: Sew the HST units into pairs as shown. Sew white squares to both ends of two units. 

Step 6: Sew HST pairs to the sides of the center square. Sew the remaining units to the top and bottom to make the center star unit.

Step 7: Draw a diagonal line on the wrong side of a 4-3/4" white square. Layer right sides together with a 4-3/4" plaid square. 

Step 8: Sew 1/4" on either side of the drawn line. Cut on the drawn line and press both units open. Trim to measure 4-1/4" square. Repeat to make a total of (8) HST units. 

Step 9: Lay out the (8) HST units, (4) 4-1/4" white squares and center star unit as shown.

Step 10: Sew the HST units into pairs, and add 4-1/4"blue star squares to both ends of (2) units.  Sew HST pairs to the sides of the center square. Sew the remaining units to the top and bottom to make the center star unit.

Step 11: Draw a diagonal line on the wrong side of (1) 8-1/2" white square. Layer right sides together with an 8-1/2" blue star square. 


Step 9: Sew 1/4" on either side of the drawn line. Cut on the drawn line and press both units open. Trim to measure 8" square. Repeat to make a total of (8) HST units. 
Step 10: Lay out the (8) HST units, (4) 8" white squares and center star unit as shown.

Step 11: Sew the HST units into pairs, and add 8" white squares to both ends of (2) units. Sew HST pairs to the sides of the center square. Sew the remaining units to the top and bottom to complete the quilt top.

Step 12: Layer the backing right side down, batting and quilt top right side up. Quilt as desired. Trim batting and backing even with the quilt top. Use the (4) 2-1/4" x 42" plaid strips to bind the quilt. 


Would you like to win the fabrics used to make this quilt? Leave a comment below (or on IG) telling us your favorite July 4th tradition. Giveaway is open through Sunday, June 18th at 11:59 PM CDT. 

Find the entire American Pride collection here and ask for it at your local quilt shop. 
Visit our Feeling Patriotic Pinterest board here for more red, white and blue ideas. 


Follow along with our Summer of Sewing Series! 
Click here to see all the tutorials. 


Last week's winner:
Congratulations to SliceofPiQuilts! We'll be contacting you for your mailing address.

Tuesday, June 13, 2017

NEW American Pride prints!

Red, white and blue fabrics...as American as Bomb Pops popsicles!



Our new American Pride prints are filled with patriotic pride. 

A collage of patriotic motifs by Amy Calloway:

Bald eagles and Old Glory by Amy Calloway:

Flag stars!

Love this plaid!

And don't forget the panel:


Find the entire American Pride collection here and ask for it at your local quilt shop. 

Thursday, May 18, 2017

Summer Round-Up: 15 Tutorials for You!

With summer around the corner, we thought it would be fun to revisit some of our favorite summer-inspired sewing tutorials. These are all easy projects that can be sewn pretty quickly--perfect for those summer days when the gorgeous weather is calling your name and you don't want to spend all day in your sewing room!

1. The Happy Pouch featuring the Happy collection


2. The Iris Garden Placemat featuring Ro Gregg's Garden Rendezvous collection




4. Land that I Love Wall Banner featuring the American Pride collection






7. Triangle Block Quilt featuring Dryad by Shannon Brinkley


8. Sew Many Strips Quilt Back featuring Dryad by Shannon Brinkley


9. Vintage 30s Drawstring Bag featuring Vintage 30s Ruby's Treasures collection by Barbara J. Eikmeier


10. Quilt-As-You-Go Tote featuring Sophisticates by Ro Gregg


11. Embroidered Drawstring Bag featuring Vintage 30s Ruby's Treasures collection by Barbara J. Eikmeier


12. Pillowcase Frenzy featuring the Sports collection


13. Windfall Squared featuring the Windfall collection





Looking for more tutorials? Visit our Tutorials to Try board on Pinterest.